1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a cash processing system that automatically performs cash handling operations associated with banking services and so forth. More specifically, the invention relates to a cash processing system that performs automatic stacking of cash in a safe, manages the said safe, dispenses cash from the safe and holds cash that the user has inadvertently not retrieved and other banking associated operations.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, cash handling apparatuses such as automatic teller""s machines (ATM), cash dispensers and so forth have been widely used in banking services and so forth. Such cash handling apparatuses include a detachable cash safe that feeds cash from the safe set therein to a cash stacker for dispensing the same. Filling of the cash safe is labor intensive work and requires very high security. Furthermore, because of manual operation, there is the possibility of errors or theft occurring during placement of the cash in the cash safe. Therefore, there is the need for the reduction of labor and the maintenance of a high level of security.
The conventional practice for placing cash in the cash safe for access to the cash handling apparatus involves a responsible worker obtaining the necessary amount of cash from a cashier, manually setting the cash in the cash safe and then performing a key input (through a key array of the cash handling apparatus) for the set amount of cash.
Similarly, for recovering cash, the said worker manually withdraws the cash from the cash safe, performs a counting operation, issues a receipt and returns the cash to the cashier.
Because of the nature of handling the cash, complete security and error free operation is desired. In the prior art, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 2-21393 proposes a cash safe incorporating a memory. The cash safe is connected to a computer for inputting an amount of money set in the safe thus making the amount of cash in the safe definite to prevent theft or error from occurring. However, even in the proposed system, management of the safe is still performed by the responsible person having a key. In other words, the person possessing the key still has access to the cash in the safe thereby maintaining the possibility of error or theft, occurring. Especially, in view of the current trend for holiday banking services that require authorization of the management of the cash safe to a third party, such as security services, the possibility of the above problems occurring has increased.
On the other hand, from the viewpoint of service to customers, manual operation of placing cash in the safe, and setting the cash safe in the cash handling apparatus can cause inconvenience during service time. Namely, when the safe and cash handling apparatus are empty, the apparatus becomes inoperative until additional cash is placed within the same. Resetting the filled cash safe is performed by a process identical to that set forth above. Such process is clearly time consuming and thus can cause unnecessary inconvenience for the customer.
Also, when customer forgets retrieve the cash from the cash handling apparatus, it is the current practice to restore the cash in the apparatus and place the unretrieved cash in cash storage with identification of the customer. However, in current practice, checking identification is very cumbersome and time consuming work when the customer returns to retrieve the money.
In addition, it is also possible that the cash safe will be set to the incorrect cash handling apparatus. When the cash safe is set to incorrect cash handling apparatus a discrepancy between the existing cash in the safe and the recorded amount can result in confusion, and, when management of the cash safe is authorized to a third party, such as security services, incorrect placement of a safe in a cash handling apparatus having different banking services is a strong possibility.
In view of the various inconveniences associated with the currently available cash processing systems in the banking services and so forth, improvement measures ensuring greater efficiency, higher security and enhanced services are clearly required.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cash processing system that can reduce manual operation in placing and collecting cash from a cash handling apparatus, such as ATM""s, cash dispensing machines and so forth and thus can eliminate the possibility of error or theft occurring.
Another object of the invention is to provide a cash processing system that can assure security even when cash placement and cash collection are authorized to the third party, such as security services without error and/or theft occurring.
A further object of the invention is to provide a cash processing system that can prevent incorrect placement of funds in the cash handling apparatus by enabling a check to take place to determine if the funds are properly placed in the intended cash handling apparatus.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a cash processing system that enables efficient setting of cash in the cash handling apparatus for reducing customer waiting time during restoring operations during service hours.
A yet further object of the present invention is to provide a cash processing system that facilitates the return of cash inadvertently left in the cash handling apparatus.
According to one aspect of the invention, a cash processing system comprises:
a detachable safe;
a cash processing apparatus that receives the detachable cash safe for automatically placing a commanded amount of cash therein; and
a cash handling apparatus that receives the safe, in which the commanded amount of cash is placed for performing services including a cash dispensing service.
In the preferred construction, the cash processing apparatus comprises a personnel accessible input and output unit, through which a command for cash processing is entered, and an automatic cash processing unit (also termed a setting (i.e., placing) and recovery unit) in response to the command from the personnel accessible input and output unit for automatically placing cash in the cash safe. In this case, the personnel accessible input and output unit may check the content of a person""s card and a secret code entered by the personnel for permitting entry for the cash processing command only if the result of the check confirms the authenticity of the personnel. Also, the cash handling unit may be responsive to a cash recovering command from the personnel accessible input and output unit to perform cash recovery from the cash safe. In addition, the personnel accessible input and output unit may permit entry of kinds of and number of bills to be set in the cash safe, and the cash processing unit may be responsive to the entered kinds of and amount of each kind of bill for placing the commanded number of bills in the cash safe. In this case, the automatic cash processing unit (also termed a setting (i.e., placing) and recovery unit) may initially recover funds remaining in the cash safe, if any, and subsequently performs placement of the commanded amount of cash therefor. In the preferred process, the automatic cash processing unit (also termed a setting (i.e., placing) and recovery unit) alternatively places different bills of given denommation when a plurality of bills are to be placed in the cash safe.
It is also possible for the automatic cash processing unit (also termed a setting (i.e., placing) and recovery unit) to store the content of cash processing in the personnel accessible input and output unit after completion of the commanded cash processing. Furthermore, the personnel accessible input and output unit preferably issues a receipt upon completion of cash processing of the cash processing unit.
In the preferred construction, the cash safe comprises a memory for storing cash safe information, the cash processing apparatus reads out the said safe information from the memory upon setting of the cash safe therein and performs a check to determine consistency. Also, the cash safe may comprise a memory, and the cash processing apparatus writes cash setting information in the memory upon placing cash in cash safe. The cash handling apparatus reads out the safe information from the memory upon setting of the cash safe therein and performs a check for consistency.
The cash handling apparatus may read out the cash setting information from the memory upon setting of the cash safe therein. The cash handling apparatus and the cash processing apparatus may be connected to an upper level unit, and the cash processing apparatus may transfer cash setting information to the cash handling apparatus through the upper level unit.
According to another aspect, a cash processing system comprises:
a detachable cash safe;
a cash processing apparatus receives the detachable cash safe for automatically placing a commanded amount of cash therein; and
a cash handling apparatus that receives the cash safe and is connected to an upper level unit, in which the commanded amount of cash is placed, for performing services including a cash dispensing service, the cash handling apparatus being provided with presence and absence of recovery process information at the occurrence of incorrect setting of the cash safe and enabling use of the mismatched cash safe by a recovery process according to a command from the upper level unit.
A further aspect of the invention, a method for managing a cash safe in a cash handling apparatus includes:
a detachable cash safe;
a cash handling apparatus for receiving the cash safe and performing services including a cash dispensing service,
wherein the managing method comprises the steps of:
storing available apparatus information in a memory in the cash safe;
reading out the available apparatus information in the memory upon setting of cash safe in the cash handling apparatus and determining whether the set cash safe is available for use; and
inhibiting use of the cash safe if not available for use.
If the available apparatus information contains information for more than one available apparatus, the apparatus information of the cash handling apparatus, to which the cash safe is set, may be written in the memory of the set cash safe after a check is performed in the cash handling apparatus. The available apparatus information may be read out from the memory of the cash safe when the cash counting checking process for the cash safe is performed. The read out available apparatus information may be displayed on a display section of the cash safe. The cash safe is connected to a cash processing apparatus and the read available apparatus information may be input to the cash processing apparatus. The cash processing apparatus may feed out the cash in the cash safe for counting.
According to a further aspect, a cash handling apparatus comprises:
a cash handling unit for performing services including a cash dispensing service;
a detachable cash safe to be set in the cash handling unit for feeding out cash stored therein; the cash safe including an input section, a card reader, a door lock mechanism and a control section,
the input section accepts entry of a secret code and the card reader receives personnel cards for reading the content therein; and
the door lock mechanism being controlled for unlocking depending upon the result of a comparison of the secret code and the content of the personnel card.
The control section may include a memory and cash setting information entered through the input section and stored in the memory.
According to yet a further aspect of the present invention, a cash handling apparatus comprises:
a detachable cash safe;
a cash handling unit receiving the cash safe and dispensing cash from the cash safe; the cash handling unit includes a control section for controlling the cash handling unit;
a memory incorporated in the cash safe and storing safe information; and
the control section reading out the safe information from the memory upon setting of the cash safe at the cash handling apparatus for checking consistency.
According to a further aspect of the invention, a method for placing cash in a cash handling apparatus that includes a detachable cash safe, a cash handling unit including a stacker for a dispensing operation, the cash handling unit including a control section and placing cash from the cash safe to the stacker, the method comprising the steps of:
inputting set bill amount in the cash safe to the control section; and
controlling placing of cash from the cash safe to the stacker so that a predetermined minimum amount of cash is placed from the cash safe to the stacker.
A method for placing cash in a cash handling apparatus that includes a detachable cash safe, a cash handling unit including a stacker for a dispensing operation; the cash handling unit includes a control section and places cash from the cash safe to the stacker, the method comprising the steps of:
inputting set bill amount in the cash safe to the control section; and
setting available services for the cash handling apparatus excluding a cash dispensing service by the control section; and
directly placing the cash handling apparatus in a ready state for service without performing the cash placing operation, and performing a cash placing operation from the cash safe to the stacker during the ready state.
The different kinds of bills may be placed in the cash safe in alternative fashion for given numbers, and placing of cash to the stackers is performed in an alternating fashion. The method may include a detachable cash safe, a cash handling unit including a stacker for a dispensing operation, the cash handling unit includes a control section and places cash from the cash safe to the stacker, the method comprising the steps of:
inputting set bill amount in the cash safe to the control section; and
if only one denommation of bill is contained in the cash safe, performing a cash dispensing service directly from the cash safe without performing a cash placing operation to the stacker.
A memory may be provided in the cash safe, and the method may comprise storing bill amount set in the cash safe in the memory and reading out the set bill amount stored in the memory by the control section.
According to a further aspect of the invention, a method for handling funds left in a cash handling apparatus that includes a left cash storage section for storing the cash left in the cash handling apparatus, a cash handling unit for dispensing cash from a cash stacker, and a control section for controlling the cash handling unit; the cash handling unit transferring the left cash to the left cash storage section, the method comprising the steps of:
storing left cash information associated with the left cash in a left cash storage file in a memory upon occurrence of cash being left in the cash handling apparatus; and
displaying the left cash information stored in the memory upon returning the left cash.
The method may further comprise a step of storing left cash returning information in a left cash return file in the memory upon return of the left cash. Also, the method may further comprise outputting the left cash return information and erasing the output left cash return information from the left cash return file.
The left cash storage section and memory may be provided in a cash safe detachably set in the cash handling apparatus. The method may further comprise a step of displaying the left cash information on a display section of the cash handling apparatus. Alternatively, the method may further comprise displaying the left cash information on a display section or a display section connected to the cash safe.
In addition, the method may further comprise performing a search in the left cash file in the memory in terms of part of the left cash information entered through an input section for accessing corresponding left cash information. Also, the method may further comprise performing a search in the left cash return file in the memory in terms of part of the left return cash information entered through an input section for accessing corresponding left cash information.